LAKEWOOD – An hour before the county's Opiate Task Force meeting was scheduled to start, people started lining up looking for help for drug-addicted family members.

A woman who declined to give her name said she came to get the kit because the antidote helped revive her daughter after an overdose. A man who also declined to give his name said that he came out because his son was an addict.

They weren't there for counseling. They were there for what might well be their loved one's last chance: a free Narcan opiate antidote kit that they could use in a final desperate shot to save a life.

Prosecutor Joseph Coronato wants the same thing.

"It's all about getting the message out," Prosecutor Joseph Coronato told the packed meeting. "The bottom line is since we started the program we've had 54 saves using Naloxone. It's about saving lives. This is not about putting people in jail."

And that's why, Coronato said, he decided to offer free Narcan kits to family members, and not just law enforcement personnel. During Monday night's meeting, approximately 100 Narcan kits were distributed and people received training by Dr. Rajiv Juneja on the potentially lifesaving opiate antidote.

The authorization to do so came from a law Gov. Chris Christie signed in May 2013 that permits a physician to prescribe an opiate antidote to anyone that may "be in a position to assist another individual during an overdose."

While the initial intent was to be able to supply this antidote to families and friends, the law also permits the antidote to be given to others in public safety that may encounter an individual suffering from an overdose, such as law enforcement officers, security personnel, teachers, coaches, counselors and other first responders. A specific aspect of the law is that it eliminates civil and criminal liability for anyone who administers the antidote known as Naloxone. This medication can be delivered as a nasal spray.

"We have an epidemic and some people don't realize that," said a woman who would only be identified as Eileen. "This county is out in front of the issue, but more has to be done."

Juneja stressed to those attendance that after being given Narcan the patient should be taken to the hospital.

"It's critical to do that," Juneja said "You may only have one dose, so it's critical."

If Naloxone is ingested by someone not going through an overdose, it will not impact their health, Juneja said.

"If we were to take a bunch of Naloxone right now nothing would happen, but it should be kept out of the reach of children,'' Juneja said.

Supplying kits to families could help save more lives, Coronato said.

"Time is critical in these situations," Coronato said. "By having family members with the kits it will get help to the patients quicker."

In April, all law enforcement agencies in the Monmouth and Ocean counties were supplied with the kits as part of a statewide rollout. Kits supplied to local law enforcement agencies were paid for by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office forfeiture funds. The money for the purchase of these kits has come from confiscated property from drug dealers so no tax dollars have been used. In the first month of the program, 10 saves were reported to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office; it's been 54 since the program began.

Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato has worked with a number of pharmacies to have Naloxone regularly on hand for purchase. The list of pharmacies and the Naloxone training video can be found on the Prosecutor's Office website at: www.oceancountypro­secutor.org.